Peter Durdle Memorial Open honours New Waterford man’s dedication to sport and family

Shown above is a drawing of Peter Durdle by Joard Burke. The annual Peter Durdle Memorial Open tennis tournament will take place this weekend at the New Waterford Tennis Club. The tournament begins on Friday. - Contributed

NEW WATERFORD, N.S. — Peter Durdle was known as a typical family man, someone who enjoyed spending time with the people he loved.

One of his biggest joys in life was spending time watching his grandson, Robbie Kavanaugh, play sports in his home community of New Waterford.

Durdle was first introduced to the sport of tennis when Kavanaugh began playing at age 14 at the local club.

“He never played the sport and knew nothing about it until I got involved, he basically learned as I was learning,” said Kavanaugh, 51, in a phone interview earlier this week.

“I was the only grandchild, so if I was at the rink playing hockey, he was there, if I was up the ball field playing baseball, he was there — when tennis became my passion, he became an expert in a hurry.”

A few years later, Kavanaugh became a tennis instructor at the New Waterford facility and once again his grandfather was there to support him.

“He’d go up to the courts and he would help pick up the balls and keep things in order — I’m sure he did it for me,” said Kavanaugh, noting his grandfather was an important part of his life.

“He used to enjoy talking to the older players and he looked forward to going to the club every day.”

After attending Cape Breton University, Kavanaugh decided to move to Halifax, but that didn’t stop Durdle, a former coal miner, from going to the tennis court on a regular basis.

“The kids all started calling him gramps,” laughed Kavanaugh.

Unfortunately, Durdle died on Nov. 5, 1995, but his memory wouldn’t be forgotten at the club.

The New Waterford Tennis Club approached Kavanaugh with the idea of changing the name of the venue’s annual tournament to the Peter Durdle Memorial Open.

“It was a special moment,” said Kavanaugh of the name change. “It was a huge honour because he meant so much to me and to see that he had an impact on other people as well, it was a nice way to think about him every year and reflect on his dedication to the club — they were like family to him.”

Today, the Peter Durdle Memorial Open continues to be a signature sporting event each year in New Waterford.

This year’s tournament will take place this weekend at the New Waterford Tennis Club, located on Lowell Cormier Avenue. The event will begin on Friday at 5:30 p.m., before wrapping up on Sunday.

Tournament divisions include men’s and ladies’ singles and doubles as well as men’s class ‘A’ singles and mixed doubles.

Close to 50 matches are expected to be played during the three-day event.

“We have some of the top players coming down for the tournament as well as some local regular players who play in the tournament each year,” said Kavanaugh, who not only plays in the tournament himself, but is also the event’s director.

“It means a lot to be able to play in the tournament — back in the day I was one of the top players in the province and I always had a shot at winning it and it was hugely emotional because I would train really hard to get ready for the event.”

Although registration for the event remained open on Wednesday and the final number of participants was unknown, Kavanaugh, a three-time winner of the tournament, did confirm top provincial players Chris Matthews and John Hughes will play this weekend.

Matthews, a Dartmouth resident, has won the tournament twice and is currently one of the top players in Nova Scotia. Meanwhile, Hughes, originally from Port Hawkesbury, was a former top junior player in the province.

“If people want to see the game played properly, this is a great opportunity,” said Kavanaugh. “Although it’s a competitive tournament it’s a pretty laid-back, fun environment and it’s certainly fun to watch.”

The tournament, one of two Cape Breton events on Tennis Nova Scotia’s summer schedule, usually takes place during the first weekend of New Waterford’s Coal Dust Days Festival, however organizers decided to change the dates this year to allow for more player entries.

Although Kavanaugh would like to win the tournament for his grandfather, he says it’s not all about winning these days.

“The success now for me is if the weather is good for the tournament and if everyone gets on and off the court in time and that the schedule is done correctly,” laughed Kavanaugh.

“There are so many good tennis players that play in the tournament, I know I don’t have a chance at winning anymore, but that’s OK.”

Kavanaugh will always remember his grandfather.

“My grandfather was a little bit of everything to me, besides being my grandfather, he was a friend and financial advisor and was a huge supporter of everything that I did in my life.”

jeremy.fraser@cbpost.com

Twitter: @CBPost_Jeremy

Peter Durdle Memorial Open

• When: Friday-Sunday

• Where: New Waterford Tennis Club

• Time: Begins Friday at 5:30 p.m.

• Why: In memory of Peter Durdle of New Waterford, who died on Nov. 5, 1995